Cheerleading

Cheerleaders are mainly known for standing on the football field while cheering their team on, and trying to make the crowd to cheer along. However, there is much more to cheerleading than that. Cheerleading involves hours of practice, and cheerleaders need a variety of different skills to succeed. One of the skills a cheerleader needs is being able to stunt. There are many different types of stunts, some of these are: a basket, a pyramid, a one-man, a two legged stunt, and a one legged stunt. A standard one-legged stunt is four to five people holding up one person in the air. There are many different positions in cheerleading for stunting; however, the three main positions are: flyer, base, and back spot.
The flyer is the person on top of the stunt; therefore, the flyer holds the main focus of the stunt group. A flyer is in the air to entertain the crowd, and to show some skills in the air. A flyer must have almost perfect balance to keep the stunt from falling to the ground. There are many different exercises that flyers can do to make sure that their balance is perfect. A flyer also needs to be very flexible to be a successful flyer. The flyer pulls different stretches in the air to keep the crowd entertained; pulling stretches also adds difficulty to the stunt. A flyer also needs to know how to keep their muscles tight in the air; keeping their muscles tight will make them lighter in the air. Bases need their flyers to be as light as possible; that will make it easier for the bases to lift their flyers.
In a stunt group there are two different types of bases: the main base and the side base. The main base will hold the toe and the heel of the flyers foot. Also, this side of the stunt will hold most of the flyers weight, and must be strong and secure for a stunt group to succeed. This base will normally do most of the complicated handwork used in more difficult stunts. A main bases job is very hard and complicated; therefore, they must remain focused and calm throughout the stunt. The side base will normally hold the middle of the flyers foot and the main bases wrist to give the main base more support. A side base needs to have a very strong hand to stop the flyer from being unbalanced in the air. Being a side base is a great aspect of the stunt because it is the main position in controlling the stunt. Bases need to be very strong to support the flyer; however, the backspot is also there to help.
A back spots main job is to make sure that the flyers head and shoulders do not hit the ground if she falls. A backspot will hold the ankle and lower calf of the flyer while the flyer pulls stretches on top of the stunts. The backspot holds the ankle to make sure that the flyer is sturdy, and to make sure that the flyer does not wobble in the air. The back spot is normally considered “the glue” of a stunt group, because the backspot hold the whole stunt group together. The backspot also makes it much easier on the bases; the backspot will take some of the weight off of the bases by lifting up on the flyers ankle. The flyer and the backspot always have a very strong bond because a flyer depends on a backspot to catch them when they fall. A back spots job is very difficult because they have everyone counting on them to catch the flyer even if they are impossible to catch. There are many different positions in cheerleading for stunting; however, the three main positions are: flyer, base, and back spot. Stunting is one of the main skills a cheerleader needs to have to become successful in what they do. The different types of stunts are: baskets, pyramids, one mans, two legged stunts, and one-legged stunts. There are a variety of different stunts but a standard one-legged stunt involves four to five people on the floor holding up one person in the air. Cheerleading is a very complicated and complex thing that not everyone understands. Cheerleading is very time consuming, and cheerleaders need many skills in order to become great cheerleaders.…...

Similar Documents

...The History of Cheerleading
Believe it or not, but cheerleading started in the late 1800’s in Great Britain when people were cheering at competitive sporting events which then spread to the United States of America. In the United States, the first cheerleaders were from a group of six men from Princeton University, which was called the Princeton Pep Club. The man that organized the Princeton Pep Club was Thomas Peebler. Thomas Peebler was a graduate of Princeton University who started a cheer/chant of “Sis Boom Rah”. Cheerleading has come a long since the Princeton Pep Club, but yet it is still not receiving the respect it should be receiving in today’s world. The history of cheerleading over the past century has evolved from six men in the Princeton Pep Club chanting at a football game to one of today’s most popular and difficult sports for both girls and boys.
Cheerleading started as a man’s sport and overtime evolved into a sport that is based mainly on females. When people now a days think of cheerleading, they think of girls flaunting around in their short skirt and tight uniform top, but cheerleading began as a male sport. During the year of 1903, at a University of Minnesota football game, there was a group of six males that created a yell squad, which led to a male cheer fraternity called Gamma Sigma (iSport, History of Cheerleading). The Cheerleading State, which consisted of a group of males who led crowd chants during basketball and football
games,...

...stamina involved. There are many different aspects of cheerleading. They must be able to perform for 4 full quarters, regardless of whether offense or defense is playing. Ask that of a football player, and he most definitely will whine. It’s about time that people wise up and realize that cheerleaders and cheerleading are and is a sport. Cheerleading takes dedication, sweat, and tears just like any other sport would require. They are tired of being judged for doing something that they love. What many people do not realize is that cheerleading comes with responsibilities. You are representing your school/team whenever you tell someone you are a cheerleader, or wear a piece of clothing that says you cheer. You have to act appropriately, and in many schools you may have to make the grades to be on the team.
Cheerleaders are not those preppy little girls anymore. They are a whole other type of athletes. They go to tiring competitions to compete for titles such as State, or National Champion. These “competitions” are no walk in the park. They can be up to 4 days long, and last all morning and evening. You usually only get two minutes and thirty seconds to perform your routine, which to cheerleaders that time seems like the longest time ever. Apparently, cheerleading is not at all what people say it is.
For high school girls, and college women, cheerleading is far more dangerous than any other sport. High school cheerleading accounted for 65.1 percent of all......

...Cheerleading is a Sport.
Priscilla Scott
Eng. /102
1/31/2013
Vicki Lynn Samson
Imagine bright lights, screaming fans and the floor vibrating beneath your feet. It is neither a football game nor a basketball game- it is a National Cheerleading Championship. Thousands of competitive cheerleaders around the country practice all year round to compete in the Nationals. In a large arena, surrounded by ESPN cameras, their hundreds of hours of grueling practice come down to how well they perform their two-and-a-half minute routine. The slightest mistake by any member of the team and their dreams of awarded "Champions" vanish. Most people confuse the girls and boys who yell chants such as "Go, Team Go!", or "Rah, Rah, Rah" to the crowd at sporting events, with the true athletes of competitive cheerleading. Cheering at sporting events is an activity in most school curricula, which is not a sport. However, because many people have not been introduced to competitive cheerleading, a true sport, they are led to believe that this type of chanting encompasses all forms of cheerleading. Although, the NCAA has not formally recognized cheerleading as a sport, competitive cheerleading is and should be considered a sport.
Many people confuse sideline cheerleading with competitive cheerleading. Sideline cheerleading is an activity in which an individual cheers for a team. Sideline cheerleading consists of simple cheers where the crowd can cheer along with. It is fun and......

...about the fact she was pushing her daughter to do something that she actually wanted to do herself as a child. Based on the evidence it seems that overwhelming jealousy led Wanda to plot to kill a cheerleader’s mother.
There were some factors helped to form Wanda personality. For example, during her childhood, it all begins with a dream: Holloway’s vision of her daughter as a cheerleader. It was a goal Holloway herself had never realized; her strict Baptist father had forbidden it. “She spent her days in solitary piano playing while she thought about her life as an adult. She hoped that she would have a career as the personal secretary to a corporate executive” (Hall 63). Wanda Holloway had a serious problem with the fact she loved Cheerleading. Yes, we do know that her father had forbidden, when she was a child she had her chance but her father considered the uniforms they wore was to skimpy (Hall 63). Wanda never tried out and so she became working on her reality dreams by try to pursue her dreams through her 14yr old daughter Shanna. Ann Lang, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
Many times, she had to think about the fact she wanted her child to become something she wanted to be when she was young. She wanted her daughter Shanna to be a cheerleader frenetically why? That is what we are trying to figure out because of the fact about being a mother and trying to pursue your dreams through that child may make them loose their mind because you are pressuring them into something......

...cheering includes dance, tumbling (gymnastics), jumps, stunting, and of course the cheer part.
Competition cheering takes place in the winter when basketball would. If you play basketball, you obviously enough have to be in shape. In cheering it’s the same kind of idea. Cheerleaders for a competition team aren’t running up and down a court for four quarters, but they do have a fast, strenuous, and exhausting routine that they have to perform in two minutes or under. In the routine you have to have three jumps, a tumbling sequence, five stunts or tosses, a dance, and a cheer. Can you imagine doing all that in two minutes?
People may think that cheerleaders can’t score points, so therefore, it’s not a sport, but that’s not true. In cheerleading competitions, you are scored on your routine and how well you do. It’s like gymnastics, gymnasts are judged on their different events. At a competition when you do something good, you get points and if you do something bad, you lose points. Even though your not shooting a ball into a net, you can still score.
I think the reason people think all this because their uneducated. Even some cheering parents don’t quite understand how it all works. I believe that until you’ve been behind the scenes and seen the hard work, the dedication, and the sacrifice than you don’t truly know. Cheerleaders would give up anything to practice their routine more times. Getting a routine perfect is key, and in the eyesight of every single one of them.......

...Jordan Hendry
April 23, 2013
Writing – Mr. Williams
In this Paper I am going to explain to you that I am convinced that all the problems you will encounter stem from one primary issue: greedy selfish people. People will always put themselves first. No matter what the coast is or who else they might hurt. There are major ways that selfishness and greed has lead us to the problems we find ourselves in. selfishness and greed are cancer. And sadly it is spreading like wildfire throughout our modern culture at an alarming rate.
When you are young you are taught to “look out for yourself” to not let others take care of you. What began as an attempt at teaching kids to healthy self-confidence has become a problem; children and adults think they deserve everything and anything they want. We whine that it is not fair that other people have something they don’t have and live their lives expecting more all the time. Selfishness and Greed leads us to trampling and exploiting others to get what we want; this is not how we want our world to be in the future.
In addition, selfishness in our world has resulted in many broken hearts and families. There has been countless numbers of marriages dissolved due to one or both parties wanting more than they give. Putting themselves first and their families last dissolving the most fundamental source of support and love. Looking out for yourself is important but not at the stake of your family. Sacrificing what we want in order to make......

...2012
Intro. To Grammar
Is Cheerleading a Sport?
Black eyes, busted lips and just plain pain, may you ask from what? You may not believe it, but yes this is from the sport cheerleading. I did not go one day at cheerleading practice without getting hurt. Practice after practice to make sure that we got everything we needed to be done, done. There are many arguments made regarding whether or not cheerleading is a sport. In addition, many people distinguish between a “yell” leader, versus a cheerleader who does stunting versus the competitive all-star cheerleader. You can say that some cheerleading is a sport while other cheerleading is not? That all depends on who you ask, and their definition of sports. Some say cheerleading is not a sport but experience tells me that cheerleading is the most dangerous sport out there.
In general, one definition of sports is that they require some type of physical ability or skill that has to be learned and practiced. While no one would argue that cheerleaders practice, it can be argued that cheerleading, when it simply yelling into the crowds, does not require a great deal of skill. Anyone can learn routines and yell into the crowd as long as they smile and do their job. The sport of cheerleading is more than just pompoms and smiles. In my opinion cheerleading is a sport because it requires strength, balance, and coordination. There are many magazines and articles that claim that cheerleading is a sport, plain and simple......

...feeling activity." To me, cheerleading equals inspiration! During my freshman year, I went to one of our high school rallies. I watch the cheerleaders, admired how well they danced and got the crowd involved. I figured with a little practice and a lot of dedication, I could be an inspirational leader, or cheerleader! I enrolled in cheerleading classes with Gym Stars, in order to prepare myself for trying out to be a high school cheerleader. There are two types of cheerleading. The first type is "game" or "on the field" cheering. The second type is "club," "competitive," or "all-star (Murray, Sardo, Keeton15)." Cheerleading is an important sport because of the history, the certain requirements, and the vital information to minimize risk and serious injury.
The history of cheerleading dates back to 1870. The first recorded cheer was developed at Princeton University. The group was all male, and performed at the first intercollegiate football game with Rutgers( Murray, Sardo, Keeton 18). The roaring 20's saw mostly all men donning school colors and using megaphones to lead cheers. In 1950, the majority of cheerleaders were females. The men went away, and the women cheered at halftime shows, and different activities at colleges and universities throughout the world (Murray, Sardo, Keeton 18). George W. Bush, our 43rd president, was a yell leader in the 1960's. He performed during his college years at Yale. During the 70's, the NCA, or National cheerleading Association, trained......

...have less tumbling this year”. Both coaches were asked if coaching cheerleading competitively could take them farther would they let it. Both, Mary and Lyndsey’s response was they would only want to coach at Oblong High School.
Mary is married to Jeff Patchett and they have two children, Ava and Ben. Both of the kids love going to the games and practices, especially Ava. Ava loves to learn cheers and stunting with the cheerleaders. She says that she wants to be a cheer coach when she grows up. Mary is also the Athletic Director and Biology Teacher at Oblong High School. Mary has to be organized, set goals, make lists, and use her time wisely to juggle all of these things. Mary’s hobbies are being a cheer coach and making crafty things for the cheerleaders. Lyndsey is married to Jackson Jenkins and also has two children, Raelyn and Reghan. Both of her girls love coming to games and practices as well. Rayland, much like Ava, loves being with the cheerleaders and loves stunting with them. Currently, Lyndsey is going to school for her PHD in Psychology and will be done this summer. Lyndsey handles these tasks by managing her time wisely, prioritizing, and not getting much sleep. In her spare time, Lyndsey likes to take photos of seniors, families, and many other things.
Since I am a senior and this is my last year to compete at these competitions I wish the best of luck to the future cheerleading squads....

...We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!
When people hear the term “Cheerleading” they think of preppy girls from the movies, wearing short skirts and being somewhat unintelligent. Research shows that this is simply not the case. Cheerleaders have been around since the 1890s. Some of our most famous presidents have stood on the sidelines, cheering their teams to victory. Franklin D. Roosevelt cheered at Harvard. Ronald Regan cheered for the basketball team at Eureka Collage, and even both Bushes cheered at Yale and Andover (Graff 526). Through the years, the sport of cheerleading has evolved, yet the majority of people still do not consider cheerleading a real sport. In 2010 David Whitley published an article in aolnews.com stating that “Just because you work hard at something or just because there is a risk of injury involved does not make it [cheerleading] a sport.” Although schools and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) do not consider cheerleaders as athletes, they make them abide by the same rules and safety guidelines of all other recognized sports (historyofcheerleading.com). Cheerleaders have some of the same concepts of gymnastics, and gymnastics is considered a sport. The perceptions of Whitley and the NCAA as well as many others are reasonable to some; however, it is my belief that cheerleading is a real sport. Cheerleading like any other sport requires an enormous amount of strength and agility, grueling hours of practice, and extreme dedication. ......

...English Comp. 2
March 15 2015
Is cheerleading a sport?
Somehow everyone is still talking about is cheerleading a sport, I guess they aren’t convinced yet. Cheerleading is something that is active and just about any and everybody can participate in, others think it is not a sport because it is not as active as track, football, and basketball. This sport can give people courage and can bring out the best in you and it can make you feel great inside and make you want to work together with people and as a team just like any other sport. Teamwork is the dream work.
Cheerleaders are commonly seen on the sidelines at football and basketball games supporting their teams. Fans just see them as other people supporting their team. However, the cheerleaders have to go through rigorous training and practice all the time to perfect the routines displayed at games. Along with cheering on the sidelines at games, most cheerleading squads participate in heated competitions to show their athleticism. Although it is not officially defined as a sport by the NCAA, it obviously should be for many different reasons.
Dictionary.com defines a sport as "an athletic activity that requires physical prowess or skill and often a competitive nature. Cheerleading is defined as” the action and skill of a cheerleader.” So what is a cheerleader? A cheerleader is’ a person who leads spectators in traditional or formal cheering at a pep rally and athletic events. Cheerleading definitely fulfills this......

...Most say that cheerleading isn’t a sport but I am about to tell you the difference. There’s cheerleading for the football and basketball teams which is basically just for fun. Honestly when people say cheering isn’t a sport I tell them that sideline, which is when you cheer for football, isn’t a sport but when you compete I and others consider it a sport. Everything you do no matter what sport it is, you should have fun doing it.
Friday night games is when you go out there and perform your best for you, your team, and your audience. Cheering for your school football team is the best feeling ever when you can you just be able to go out there and cheer on your team. Being a cheerleader you are usually the football teams number one supporter because we will always be behind them 100 percent win or lose. A cheerleader pretty much represent the school, you are expected to have the most school spirit, represent your school with pride. When you are out in public you definitely need to present yourself well and act right because if you look/act badly out in public someone will call you out on it and then you just represented you, your squad, and your school badly.
Competition cheer for the school has to be the best decision I have ever made in my high school career. Walking out on that mat for the first time ever is the most nerve wrecking feeling ever because you want to put your all out there on that mat just for two minutes and thirty seconds of your life. But first you have......

...Debate Paper Outline
4/19/2015
Brenda Crowe
XBCOM/275
Tiffany Bostic
Is Cheerleading a Sport?
Along with cheering on the sidelines at games, most cheerleading squads participate in heated competitions to show their athleticism. “Although the athleticism of cheerleaders has risen dramatically since Johnny Campbell led the first cheers at a University of Minnesota football game in 1898, what hasn't changed is the primary focus of school cheerleading: to promote school spirit, support other teams in competition and provide leadership within the school and community. Because of the highly athletic nature of modern cheerleading, annual competitions were created to showcase these athletes on their own and away from the sidelines, and the sport-or-not debate began”. (espnW.com, 2014).
I. Pro’s
A. Cheerleaders are athletes
B. College cheerleading was as physically demanding and mentally challenging as any activity.
C. Dictionary.com defines a sport as "an athletic activity that requires physical prowess or skill and often a competitive nature." Cheerleading definitely fulfills this criteria.
II. Cons
A. Sports teams exist to compete, not to perform and entertain or support another group that competes.
B. Competitions are not frequently enough to satisfy NCAA, NFHS.
C. Under the nation's Title IX regulations, which require universities receiving federal funds to offer equal athletic opportunities to both sexes, a sport must have...

...Cheerleading 101
Cheerleading began for me at the age of twelve. In the past I had played soccer, basketball, softball, did ballet. Basically every activity my mom could possibly put me in. All of those activities were okay, but cheerleading became something that was special to me. I first began cheering in middle school for the Hazelwood West Junior Wildcats. I cheered on the team throughout middle school literally dedicating all of my free time to cheerleading. I lived, ate, and dreamed cheer. I went on to continue cheering throughout my high school career, cheering for all Hazelwood West athletics, including: soccer, football, basketball, and wrestling. I was a hardcore dedicated athlete, and I had spirit like no other. From traditional sideline cheerleading to competition cheerleading I have really done it all. Being a top- notch cheerleader did not come easy at all though. It took dedication, practice, and determination.
In cheerleading the most important thing is motion placement. As noted by the National Cheerleading Association, motions must be sharp, strong, and neat. (National) These motions come into play in more than just cheers and sidelines you perform. They are in the dance move that you will execute and the stunts you intend on hitting. Proper arm placement is also a must. You want to avoid things like cocked wrists, bent arms, and overextension of the arms. The basic motion of a cheerleader is the ready position, which is hand behind your back with your......

...Megan Ross
Ms. Mason
English 1102
31 March, 2016
It’s Just Cheerleading, No Big Deal.
Can you feel yourself standing on four hands being held almost two times your height in the air? Or what about those same hands tossing you even higher to do a complete flip then landing. To a cheerleader this is just a simple task, entrusting others as they complete stunts to amaze the crowd. How would you feel if the sport you took part in every day was questioned? For a cheerleader, cheering would be considered a sport, but to an onlooker, it may seem as if the activity is just that, activity. You may be reading and saying, "I thought cheering was a sport", but in actuality by law, it is not considered a sport. The same debate has been going on for years about this subject. But has it come to an agreement? Cheerleading is a multi-cultural activity consisting of many different flips and cheers, but has to cheerlead in any way made its mark be a global sport? As a matter of fact, cheering requires the same physical stability as other sports like basketball, baseball, soccer, and others. Even though many may disagree due to the way television presents cheering. I believe cheering is a sport, and it should be classified under both Title IX and NCAA Sports.
Cheerleading has developed over the last twenty years, from just sideline cheering at events of cheering doesn't just include the spirit shown with cheers and chants, and it now integrates the form and skills of gymnastics......